


a future, for me and you

by Yukari



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Fluff with a Happy Ending, HPA AU, M/M, No Spoilers, but you may notice references to some of ouma's side events, cover art by ChromeXVII, ghost au, i just really wanted to write something happy, ouma is a ghost and haunts the hpa infirmary, saihara meets the gremlin and falls in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 23:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13623303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukari/pseuds/Yukari
Summary: Suddenly someone appeared just in front of him, too close, much too close, their faces only inches away from each other.Quite shorter than him. Purple eyes, pale skin. A mischievous grin that couldn’t mean anything good. And most importantly, that person appeared basically out of nowhere, making Saihara yelp in surprise and take a few steps back to hit the door. Even if he wanted to run away now…“No need to be so scared!” The dark-haired boy laughed. “I may be a ghost, but I’m a friendly one! That might be a lie though.”In other words, a fluffy fic about how Saihara meets a mischievous infirmary ghost and feels intrigued.





	a future, for me and you

  
  
  
  
“Hey, everyone…” Saihara began hesitantly during the lunch break. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

He immediately regretted asking that question, as one of his friends, Momota, started spitting the water he was drinking. That was enough of an answer – not only he believed they existed, but also found them utterly terrifying. He didn’t have to be a detective to come to this conclusion.

“What’s with this question, Saihara-kun…?” Akamatsu asked with a frown, neither laughing at him, nor taking him seriously.

“Have you already gone crazy, Saihara?” Harukawa muttered, obviously annoyed by such an illogical question. “Nothing like this exists.”

“H-Harumaki is right, of course they don’t e-exist!” Momota pretty much yelled, making it even more obvious his real opinion was different.

“Don’t call me Harumaki.”

“What’s wrong with it? Don’t be like this!”

“Of course…” Saihara muttered to himself. He should’ve expected a reaction like this. It was an absurd question after all, and no one sane would take it seriously… and he wasn’t about to explain why he even asked about this. They were good friends, but they hadn’t known each other long enough for him to be comfortable with making an idiot out of himself.

He started attending this school, Hope’s Peak Academy… about a month ago. Probably a bit less than a month. At first he was terrified – he himself seemed much plainer than his  classmates and upperclassmen, so he was convinced he wouldn’t fit in… But somehow he ended up befriending Akamatsu, probably the friendliest person in their class, and Momota, who could probably compete against her in this category. Harukawa… Saihara wasn’t quite sure how he befriended her, but she was pretty nice… sometimes.

All of them were pretty level-headed though, which made it impossible to seek advice from them… but asking Angie or Shinguuji seemed like an even worst idea.

“Of course ghosts aren’t real…”

***

But if they weren’t, then who was the boy in front of him?

“Ah, Saihara-chan! I was beginning to get bored here, all by myself. What were you thinking, making the evil supreme leader wait? If this happens even one more time, I’ll have to punish you!” The person dressed in white said in a serious tone, only to smile at him widely a second later. “That’s a lie though! I would never do anything evil to Saihara-chan! Unless he makes me really mad…”

He… sounded like a headache, like always.

“Ouma-kun… I had classes,” he replied with a sigh, putting his bag on the floor and sitting down on one of the infirmary beds.

“You could’ve skipped them! This school lets students do whatever they want anyway.”

“Spending time together helps us strengthen our bonds as a class…” Saihara quoted Akamatsu. She was the one to bring them together and actually make them attend classes despite not having to. “And I like spending time with my friends.”

“Eeeh? But Saihara-chan, am I not your friend too?!” Ouma exclaimed, tears already welling up in his eyes. “I feel so betrayed right now! How could you, Saihara-chan!”

He was sitting on the desk by the window, not moving from there, but still swinging his legs and gesticulating like a child. He was just… so much. Saihara still had no idea how to deal with him.

Ouma looked pretty normal for a ghost. His skin was white like a sheet of paper, but he wasn’t transparent or anything. His clothes were white, but it was simply a choice of style, not something meant for haunting… and the checkered scarf was only confirming this. One could even say he was rather pretty, with his big, purple eyes and dark, unruly hair falling on his face. He was kind of cute, to be honest.

Would be even cuter if he weren’t such a pain in the neck.

“I’m sorry…?”

“That was a lie, too! Something like this wouldn’t hurt my feelings. To me, you’re merely another one of my followers, Saihara-chan. Don’t imagine too much,” he stated, changing his expression to a more indifferent one.

“I wasn’t imagining anything… Anyway, Ouma-kun, why are you haunting the infirmary anyway?” He asked, trying to change the topic.

“Nishishi, didn’t you know? This is the place where I died, brutally murdered by my enemie-“

“There’s no records of a murder ever happening in here, Ouma-kun. You can’t fool me this easily…”

“Aah, you think that if a murder happened here, it would be so easy for you to learn about it? Silly Saihara-chan,” Ouma said, narrowing his eyes in a sly manner. “Of course they would want to cover this up, especially when it’s their student who died.”

“Oh… so you were a student here?” Saihara tried to get some information out of him and uncover his true identity, but Ouma…

“Of course I was! Super High School Level Supreme Leader, that’s me! Haven’t I already told you, Saihara-chan?”

…was just messing with him. Nothing new.

“…I already checked. No one with a title like this ever attended this school.” Another sigh escaped his lips.

“Ah, now that’s mysterious! Are you enjoying chasing after my true self? Is it fun? Is it enough of a challenge for the Super High School Level Detective?” Ouma asked with a childish enthusiasm, and Saihara wasn’t sure whether it was fake or not. He watched him jump off the desk and approach him, only to sit down on the bed next to him with a wide grin. “Being here on my own was pretty boring. Keep me entertained, Saihara-chan.”

He was aware of the fact that Saihara had already swallowed the bait and was now trying to investigate who he actually was… and he had no intentions of helping him with it. Who knew, maybe ‘Ouma’ wasn’t even his real name? Maybe he just made it up when they first met? Now that he thought about it, it seemed possible…

_ It all started about a week ago, maybe a little more. Saihara felt a bit sick, so he excused himself and went to the infirmary to rest for a while. Harukawa and Momota offered to go with him, but with them he certainly wouldn’t be able to rest… at all. _

_ The room was sometimes occupied by Tsumiki, a third year student and the Super High School Level Nurse, but he really hoped to find it empty. He wasn’t that good at interacting with the older students. _

_ Despite his wishes, the infirmary wasn’t empty... Though the person inside didn’t resemble Tsumiki at all. Or maybe? It only lasted a second before that person evaporated into thin air. He blinked and they were gone. _

_ “My eyes must be playing tricks on me… Maybe it’s time to start wearing glasses…” He muttered to himself, but… He could’ve sworn he saw a dark-haired person dressed in white. His imagination wasn’t that wild… _

_ “Hey… Is anyone here?” Saihara asked hesitantly. “I-I saw you… You don’t have to hide from me…” _

_ Silence. _

_ He should’ve stopped and walked away back then. He should’ve realized that it smelled like something Momota would just run away from. Meaning: nothing good. And yet… _

_ “P-Please, I just want to talk…” _

_ “Nishishi. I guess you’re not one be fooled easily. You choose to believe your eyes after all?” _

_ Suddenly someone appeared just in front of him, too close, much too close, their faces only inches away from each other. _

_ Quite shorter than him. Purple eyes, pale skin. A mischievous grin that couldn’t mean anything good. And most importantly, that person appeared basically out of nowhere, making Saihara yelp in surprise and take a few steps back to hit the door. Even if he wanted to run away now… _

_ “No need to be so scared!” The dark-haired boy laughed. “I may be a ghost, but I’m a friendly one! That might be a lie though.” _

_ “A g-ghost!?” Of course, that would explain how he suddenly disappeared and then appeared again, but… the existence of something like a ghost wasn’t logical at all, so that explanation wasn’t easy to accept. _

_ “Yep, a ghost!” He giggled, making a step towards him again. “Do I not look like one? Should I make myself look more creepy? I can do this easily, you know.” _

_ “N-No, you don’t have to! A-Actually, could you please keep that d-distance?” Saihara stuttered out, extending his hand in front of him. The ‘ghost’ really stopped, far enough so they didn’t touch. _

_ “Coward,” he said, his smile turning into a more threatening smirk. Saihara felt a shiver run down his spine, as if his body was trying to confirm that he was, indeed, a coward. Actually, he was using his last shreds of willpower to not slide down the door to the floor, as his knees were trying to give out. “Now that you know about me, I can’t just let you go. You must die!” _

_ “Y-You yourself told me you’re a ghost! You can’t be serious…” _

_ “Oops, you’re right! You got me!” He laughed and moved a few steps back, giving Saihara some sense of security. “I guess I’ll let you live for now. But in exchange… You know, you’re pretty entertaining. Become my underling!” _

_ “E…Eh?” _

_ “Normal people usually can’t see me, so I can only interact with the ghost organization I’m the leader of… but since I’m haunting this place, I’m often pretty bored. Keep me company, human.” _

_ For a moment Saihara couldn’t really understand the question. Why was some stranger trying to order him around…? But then… as the silence between them continued, he realized the ghost was actually waiting for an answer. It probably wasn’t an order, but a request, just awkwardly worded… and… _

_ “Are you by any chance… lonely?” Saihara finally asked a question that made the ghost’s face go completely blank for a split second. _

_ “Hey, don’t imagine too much.” His face returned to that sinister grin from before. “I just said I’m bored. I have a lot of other ghosts on my orders, so don’t try to piss me off.” _

_ Saihara wasn’t this confused in a pretty long while, but… somehow, a tiny part of his mind was telling him he was actually interested… That he didn’t want to say no. _

_ And the ghost seemed to notice. _

_ “So, my new underling… What should I call you?” _

_ “I haven’t agreed to being your underling, but… I’m Saihara Shuuichi. And… you?” _

_ The boy smiled widely, but who knows if that was an honest smile? Certainly not him. _

_ “An evil supreme leader like me shouldn’t reveal his identity so easily, so for now… Just call me Ouma.” _

And that’s how he ended up stuck with this mischievous little prankster. After that week Saihara could tell he was incredibly confusing, but not that bad overall. It was nearly impossible to read his true intentions, or tell truth and lies apart, but Saihara believed he was going to make progress if they continued to spend time together…

Basically, it was all his own fault, for being so easy to tempt with a mystery. Ouma somehow realized it and caught him by turning himself into the case that needed to be solved. That’s it. But…

“Hey, so what game are we going to play today, Saihara-chan?” Ouma asked, moving closer to him, but not touching. Saihara couldn’t help but think his smile was sincere, that he was really having fun with him… and he was catching himself having fun, too.

“I’m not sure if you’ll find it interesting enough, but… I brought chess this time,” Saihara said, reaching for his bag.

“Chess? Tch, boring…” He muttered, as if disappointed. “You’ll have to put up a really good fight not to bore me to death, Saihara-chan.”

“…”

“I meant your death, Saihara-chan. If you bore me, I’m going to take back my words and really kill you,” Ouma explained, seeing his expression. “Come on, let’s have a duel to death! Today, I’ll definitely make you join my organization!”

It was probably also a lie. Ouma actually never did anything that would bring him any harm, and his threats stayed only threats. Of course, he couldn’t relax just yet, that boy was still a supernatural entity, but… he already felt kind of attached to him.

“Why are you looking at me like this, Saihara-chan? Is there anything on my face?” Ouma asked suddenly, looking up from the chessboard. “Oh, maybe you’ve already fallen for me? Are you ready to confess?”

“W-What?! No, that’s not it!”

“Tch, boring. I guess I’ll have to try harder.”

“W-What are you talking about?!”

“Nothing! Your turn, Saihara-chan!”

And so, he spent another couple of hours playing against Ouma, and though he didn’t consider himself dumb, those weren’t easy duels. Another thing he noticed about him was the absurdly high level of intelligence and strategic skills.

Who the hell was that boy?

*** 

“Eeeh? A ghost? That’s so cool, Shuuichi! Maybe it’s actually God who took the form of your dream lover?”

“Angie-san, please, not so loud… If Momota-kun and Harukawa-san hear us, I’m going to lose some of my friends.”

Saihara knew it wasn’t a good idea to talk to Angie. Of course it wasn’t. While she would definitely believe him, she wouldn’t be able to help him with anything.

“Why would you? Angie thinks it’s a blessing from God!” The white-haired girl exclaimed. “Angie always knew Shuuichi sees more than other people.”

“Maybe because I’m a detective…?”

“Nah, nah… It’s because Shuuichi listens to his heart!” Angie laughed cheerfully. “Do you think your ghost friend would like to meet Angie?”

Saihara glanced at Ouma, who was sitting by the free desk at the back of the classroom, waving at him from time to time, and sticking his tongue out at Angie.

“I don’t think it’s possible,” he sighed. “For some reason, I’m the only person who sees him.”

“Then you’re probably the one destined to help him!” She replied. “You know, Shuuichi, ghosts don’t stay in our world without a reason. He must have one as well.”

“Eh? But he’s really uncooperative. What am I supposed to do then?”

Angie leaned over her desk, moving closer to Saihara and looking at him from under her white bangs. “You might have to exorcise him~”

“W-What?!?”

“Eh!? Saihara-chan, don’t listen to that witch! I don’t want to be exorcised!” Ouma yelled from his place, and Saihara suddenly was glad he was the only one to hear him. “Saihara-chan? Saihara-chan, look at me! You’re not considering her suggestion, right? Right!? Saihara-chan!? Whyyy are you all so mean to meeee?!”

He started crying. Saihara was sure Ouma started crying again.

Trying to ignore him, he went back to talking to Angie. He was going to deal with him later.

“W-Why would that be necessary, Angie-san? He’s not doing anything bad… and I don’t really want to do anything against his will,” he said, still not able to block out Ouma’s fake sobbing.

“I-I thought my beloved Saihara-chan wouldn’t betray me… I w-was so wrong…”

_ Please, be quiet for a moment… _

“But, but Shuuichi… When normal ghosts stay too long in the human world, they might turn into evil spirits! That’s what Korekiyo says,” she replied. “If Shuuichi wants Angie to help perform the exorcism, she will gladly assist you!”

“You really believe anything that human noodle says!? What a dumb woman! I’m going to send one of my followers to haunt you for eternity!”

“I t-think I will pass for now… If I really am destined to help him, I’d prefer to look for some other solution…”

_ Evil spirit, huh? It might already be too late for him… _

“Oh, sure! But if you ever need Angie’s help, don’t be afraid to ask!”

That’s when their teacher walked into the classroom, signaling the break was over.

He was sure he wasn’t going to ask for Angie’s help. Even if Ouma was faking it, for some reason he didn’t like to see him cry… and after listening to his exaggerated sobs for an hour, he’s had enough of that forever.

***

The air in the infirmary was unusually heavy that day.

“Ouma-kun… You’re not mad at me, are you?” Saihara broke the silence first, only to receive an indifferent glance from the other boy. He didn’t even come to sit next to him, like always – he chose to occupy the chair by the desk instead.

“Not really. Why would I?” He replied in an ice-cold voice. “It’s not like today someone suggested to exorcise me and someone else looked as if he was about to agree.”

“Did you even listen to that conversation? I said I don’t want to do it,” Saihara said. Did he really hurt Ouma’s feelings this time? He didn’t say anything that could cause it, right?

And yet Ouma kept looking at him as if he did something really terrible. He was beginning to get seriously worried…

“Eeeh? I don’t really believe you, Saihara-chan. You’re terrible at lying.”

“I-I’m not lying! You’re my friend, Ouma-kun! Why would I want to do something so horrible?!”

“Would you miss me if I was gone?”

“…”

“See? You wouldn’t. But that’s okay! Not that I actually need you for anything. I was just killing time-“

“…ould.”

“Huh?”

“I would miss you, Ouma-kun,” Saihara admitted quietly, suddenly feeling embarrassed, for whatever reason. “You are confusing and I can never really tell what you’re thinking, but… I enjoy spending time with you.”

Once again, Ouma’s face went blank for a second, then it turned into a bright grin. “Nishishi, it’s so easy to get what I want from you, Saihara-chan. Me being mad at you – it was a lie! It was fun to see you so worried about my feelings.”

“W-Wha-“

“I knew you’d never exorcise me, Saihara-chan! When I claimed you lied to me, it was also a lie! Messing with you is just too much fun. Also…” He smirked at him. “It seems that I already stole your heart, mister detective~”

“W-What do you even mean by this?”

“Figure it out yourself, nishishi~”

Was he just messing with him again, or… No, that was impossible. He reached for his bag, brushing those thoughts away.

“I think I will go home earlier today.”

“Oh, Saihara-chan got mad? You really got mad at me?”

He didn’t reply, letting him ‘figure it out himself’, but when he was already by the door…

…he felt a pair of skinny hands embrace him from behind. It was the first time Ouma ever touched him, and… it didn’t feel like being hugged by a ghost at all.

“I hope Saihara-chan won’t stay mad at me for too long… That would be a very boring development,” he muttered into his back, letting go much too quickly. A thought appeared in Saihara’s mind…  _ I wish it lasted longer. _

So, for once letting go of overthinking every single move, he turned around and grabbed Ouma’s wrist, pulling him closer.

“S-Saihara-chan!?”

“I-I’m sorry! I don’t know why I did that…” He replied honestly, but didn’t let go. Instead he wrapped one of his arms around Ouma’s waist and placed the other one on his back, slipping his hand into his unruly hair… which turned out to be really soft to the touch.

Touching Ouma in general was surprisingly pleasant. Despite not being human, he was still warm and his small frame felt absurdly soft in his arms. Everything about that seemed just right… especially when Ouma, instead of running away like he would expect him to do, wrapped his arms around him as well.

“If Saihara-chan is not mad at me, then I guess it’s fine,” he said softly, burying his face in Saihara’s chest.  “It’s fine… Right?”

He sounded somewhat hesitant… something that didn’t happen often. Resting his cheek on top of Ouma’s head, Saihara muttered a quiet reply.

“Of course it is.”

In the end, he didn’t go home earlier. He stayed in the infirmary, sitting on the floor and hugging Ouma, who kept on giggling for absolutely no reason.

***

Saihara still hadn’t given up on learning Ouma’s true identity, but at the same time he wasn’t getting anywhere closer to achieving this goal. His clues consisted of knowing his appearance and a name that could turn out to be fake. If he chose to believe Ouma’s words about him being a student at Hope’s Peak Academy… he could as well investigate the classes that previously attended that school, but going through all seventy six years would take him a while. For a moment he considered asking the second year detective, Kirigiri Kyouko, for help, but… she was a bit intimidating. His social skills were on a pretty low level anyway.

All he could do was continue searching, while hoping that one day Ouma would just get bored of messing with him and tell him who he really was.

Saihara caught himself staring at the empty desk Ouma would sometimes occupy during classes – if he felt bored enough to join such a boring activity. How much easier would his life be if only he was his classmate… or maybe not. He seemed like someone Harukawa would try to throw out of the window.

“Is there anything interesting, Saihara-kun?” Akamatsu asked, turning on her chair. She was usually sitting by the desk in front of him. She probably thought he was staring outside the window…

“N-Not really, I didn’t even realize I was looking there…” he replied.

“Lately you often seem to be doing that,” she pointed out.

_ That’s because a gremlin is following me around, Akamatsu-san. _

“R-Really? I didn’t notice…”

“Ah, are you maybe in love, Saihara-kun?” She teased, smiling at him smugly. “That would explain why you’re always in such a hurry when classes are over.”

He wanted to protest, but for some reason he only opened his mouth and closed it again.

“What is it? If you want to say something, just do it. I’m your friend, I will listen to you.”

“I actually… don’t know what to say. That’s the problem,” Saihara said. Suddenly he felt confused, the same kind of confused as when talking to Ouma. A little helpless, a bit concerned… but at the same time it was a warm and pleasant feeling. “I… I’m not really sure.”

“Not sure… if you’re in love?”

Saihara nodded.

“Do I know this person?

Saihara shook his head.

“Then tell me how you feel about them.”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “He’s very…  confusing. He enjoys messing with me and making me feel helpless, but… I still like being with him, I think. I’m starting to understand how he works, and when he’s lying… and I know that despite everything, he’s not a bad person. I want to understand him even better… and unravel his lies.”

“You sound like a person who has a massive crush on someone, Saihara-kun,” Akamatsu concluded. “Well, now at least I understand what’s been bothering you for the past few weeks. Good luck with this… He sounds like…”

“…a headache. I know.”

“At least you’re aware of that,” she laughed half-heartedly. “You think you’ll at least find some time to hang out with us today? Me, Momota-kun and Harumaki wanted to grab something to eat. Amami-kun said he might join too.”

“Even you are calling her Harumaki now?”

“Why not? It’s cute,” Akamatsu said. “So, what will it be?”

“I’ll go with you. Momota-kun would literally carry me there if I refused to go,” he replied with a chuckle.

The realization that agreeing meant ditching Ouma dawned on him a bit later.

***

“So you won’t stay today?” Ouma asked, looking for something in the infirmary’s closet. “Sure, just don’t let that red chick kill you.”

“Harukawa-san wouldn’t do that…”

“Are you sure? She looks like someone who could snap my neck with one hand,” he said, making a seemingly scared face. “Harukawa-chan is pretty terrifying… I’m just worried about  my beloved Saihara-chan’s well being…”

“Ouma-kun. She’s my friend, don’t talk about her like this,” Saihara interrupted him, trying to ignore the feeling that appeared when Ouma called him ‘his beloved Saihara’.

“Tch, and here I thought you were beginning to be easier to fool. You understand me too well. Maybe you were born to meet me? Or the other way around?” He turned to him with a grin. “Maybe we were lovers in our past lives? What do you think, Saihara-chan?”

“…”

If he didn’t know Ouma any better, he would think that he was trying to flirt with him… but it was so obvious and… kind of lame, that was hard to believe it was genuine.

“Anyway, Saihara-chan, you really can go. I’m kind of busy anyway… Me and my evil organization are scheming some reeeaaally exciting plan, and since you keep refusing to join us, I don’t want to involve you.”

“If so… See you tomorrow, Ouma-kun. Don’t cause too much trouble to anyone with your evil plans,” he said warmly, realizing that not only was he getting used to his lies, but also found some of them to be kind of endearing.

“Yeah, yeah! Like I said, don’t get killed. I’m the only one who can decide whether you live or die!”

And so he left the room, unaware of the fact that as soon as he closed the door the other boy stopped pretending he was looking for something and let out a sigh.

“See you tomorrow, Shuuichi.”

***

“Ouma-kun…”

“What is it, Saihara-chan?”

“It’s your fault, right?”

“What is? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Saihara-chan! Why are you accusing me of something I don’t even know about? That’s cruel!” Ouma whined, summoning his crocodile tears once again.

Today they were playing cards, sitting on the opposite sides of the infirmary bed. Saihara managed to lose a few times already before gathering the courage to ask this question.

“You know well what I’m talking about. That love letter,” he sighed, watching Ouma’s expression instantly change into a wide grin, before he started laughing without even trying to hide it. “I saw you there…”

“I was just trying to help Momota-chan and Harukawa-chan. Aren’t they your friends?” He replied after calming down a little. “The first move is the hardest to make, Saihara-chan!”

“It doesn’t mean you’re allowed to make it for them!” Saihara replied, aware that he sounded a bit too frustrated. He couldn’t do anything about it though; lately Ouma seemed to be really trying to get on his bad side… as if he was testing his patience. “I’m pretty sure Momota-kun’s face is going to be as purple as his hair tomorrow… after Harukawa-san’s punch.”

“Matching his goatee! Excellent!”  

“Ouma-kun… I beg you… Stop this,” Saihara said in a tired voice. Ouma’s pranks were getting out of hand… Even if some were pretty amusing, releasing Gonta’s bug collection into the school was where he crossed the line, and now this… “This isn’t funny anymore…”

“So, my pranks became boring?”

“Huh?”

“Are you bored with me yet, Saihara-chan?” He asked, still smiling.

“W-What are you talking about this time?” Saihara honestly couldn’t keep up with him.

“If I’m not funny anymore, Saihara-chan should probably just give up on me. Since I’m not going to change,” he continued. “My lies are tiring, right?”

Of course, Saihara couldn’t be sure, but the more Ouma talked, the more he was convinced that his theory was actually right. He really was just…

“Stop testing me like this…” he sighed, wondering why it had to be him. Why did he have to fall for a person like this. “If I really had enough of you, I wouldn’t be coming here every day, right?”

“Oh, seems like I was figured out again! Or maybe not? It’s really wild to think that Saihara-chan would come to enjoy my evil deeds!” Ouma pointed out with a grin. “Though by locking Shinguuji-chan in Chabashira-chan’s dojo I was actually doing you a favor, you know. He’s pretty nasty-”

“Ouma-kun.”

“…you’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?” Ouma sighed, finally acknowledging Saihara’s request for him to be serious, but visibly dissatisfied with the fact that someone was trying to order him around. “Listen, you-“

Before he could finish that sentence Saihara reached out and placed his hand on Ouma’s cheek, making him go silent and his eyes go wide.

“No matter what you do, I’m not going to get bored of you so easily, Ouma-kun,” Saihara stated.

“Nishishi, of course, a detective would never abandon an unsolved case, right? You still don’t know who I really am~!”

“I’m talking to you as Saihara Shuuichi, not the Super High School Level Detective. Of course… I consider you interesting as a detective, but more importantly… I thought we became close enough for you to understand that I-“

This time it was Saihara who didn’t manage to finish his sentence, as Ouma stretched his hand and dropped the cards he was holding onto the floor. Then, without any warning, he just threw himself onto the bed, landing with his head in Saihara’s lap and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Ouma-kun?!”

“You really got me here, Saihara-chan… And to think I was the one trying to steal your heart…” His voice was so quiet that he wasn’t sure if he heard correctly.

“E-Eh?”

“But maybe I actually wanted to be caught by you?” He continued to mutter, as if not even to Saihara, but to himself. And the other boy, who was pretty sure he was completely red on the face, had no idea how to react. Especially when Ouma simply started laughing again and let go of him, sitting up and then rolling onto his back further away on the bed.

“Saihara-chan is so easy to embarrass! It’s so much fun, you know? Step up your game, Saihara-chan, I still haven’t shown you my full potential!”

“Full potential at w-what!?”

“Who knows?” It was his usual reply when trying to confuse him, but somehow… his laughter sounded much more genuine than it often did. It made Saihara smile too, despite Ouma toying with him again. “Hey, Saihara-chan, let’s do a sleepover!”

“Eh? I don’t think I’m allowed to spend the night in the infirmary, and…”

_ Bringing a ghost home doesn’t sound exactly tempting,  _ he thought, but didn’t say that out loud.

“Silly Saihara-chan, we’re not going to stay in the infirmary!” He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes, which couldn’t mean anything good. “We’re going to make use of the old school building, since nobody ever goes there.”

“W-Wha-“

“I’m mostly spending my days with you, but that’s where I spend the nights. I turned it into the HQ of my organization, though if I tell them to leave for the night, they’re going to do it! Come on, Saihara-chan, it’ll be fun! Let’s watch the anime Shirogane-chan loves so much right now and laugh at it~”

“That part about it being your HQ… was a lie, right?”

“Nishishi, busted again. Our HQ is much more majestic than this. So? What will it be, Saihara-chan?”

Saihara thought about his offer for a moment. It’s not like he couldn’t spend one night away from home, and knowing Ouma, he’d make sure he wouldn’t suffer any consequences from entering the old building. Aside from that… there wasn’t really any other reason to say no, even though the very thought of staying with Ouma the whole night was making him nervous.

“…fine,” he said in the end, earning a giggle from the other boy.

It wasn’t going to result in anything bad… right?

***

Somehow Ouma ended up stealing a laptop from somewhere. Probably from the new school building, but who know how he managed to do it? He only told Saihara not to worry about it, since he was going to give it back the next day. Going around the school grounds unnoticed must’ve been really convenient for him…

“Hmm… What was that stupid cartoon’s name… Should’ve asked Shirogane-chan first…” Ouma muttered to himself, going through some anime website while sitting on a bed in the old building’s dormitory room. “Oopsie, I can’t really ask her, right? And if I left her a note she would freak out!”

There was something sad about this statement… as Saihara was beginning to notice that Ouma grew fond of his classmates despite not being able to interact with them in any way except for his pranks. And even then, nobody realized he even existed.

Sometimes Akamatsu seemed like she noticed something, but it wasn’t enough.

“Oh, I think it was this one!” Ouma clicked at some title on the list, patting the spot on the bed next to himself. “Come here, Saihara-chan! The description is rather hilarious!”

“Ouma-kun… It has ‘drama’ in its tags…” He noticed, sitting down next to him and looking over his shoulder.

“That’s why it’s going to be fun! I’m an evil leader, watching fictional characters suffer and die is a piece of cake for someone like me. But if you feel too sad, feel free to cry on my shoulder, Saihara-chan. What kind of leader would I be if I couldn’t comfort my friends?”

Saihara looked around the room. It didn’t look abandoned at all… or maybe rather: it looked like someone tried very hard to make it appear usable. It couldn’t have been anyone other than Ouma, so he could safely assume that he actually cleaned this room just to have that sleepover with Saihara. The bed didn’t have any sheets, but it had a mattress, so bringing a sleeping bag was enough… since Ouma pulled some pillows seemingly out of nowhere. He really knew how to land his hands on anything he wanted…

And so, their sleepover started. Ouma let the first episode play and sat back next to him, complaining about the fact that only Saihara had the access to snacks. Of course, a ghost couldn’t eat… and he looked really jealous about the cookies he’d brought for himself. Don’t eat sweets in front of Ouma again – note taken.

At first, Ouma really was laughing at Shirogane’s favorite series, pointing out how ridiculous it was, but the further in they were, the closer to Saihara he was moving, only to end up cuddled against his side and suspiciously silent. He decided not to comment on that, coming to a conclusion that maybe it was his way of expressing his feelings.

But Shirogane sure had a terrible taste. And by terrible he meant that watching it was painful even for him. But for some reason, they continued until they reached the last episode.

“Uwaaaaah! That was so cruel!” Ouma bawled, obviously exaggerating. “Shirogane-chan could’ve warned us! I hate this stupid anime!”

“…”

“That’s a lie though. I didn’t feel a thing.”

“You say this, but I can swear you actually are a bit sad about the ending.” In the end, Saihara couldn’t miss that opportunity.

“Oops, you caught me! I’m very sad now! Let’s cuddle, Saihara-chan!” Ouma laughed, not taking the bait and throwing himself at Saihara.

“Ouma-kun!?”

“Come on, you should comfort me now, Saihara-chan!”

“S-Sure, but…!”

Not knowing how, he ended up with Ouma sitting in his lap, resting his head on his shoulder. His face was most likely blood-red, Ouma’s purple hair was tingling his neck, and he had no idea what to do with his hands, so he just wrapped them around him.

“I-I had no idea you’re such a cuddly person, Ouma-kun…”

“Maybe I’m not? This might be a lie. Maybe I’m just acting.”

“I think you’re not.” His warmth, the softness of his voice, everything was telling him that Ouma genuinely wanted this closeness…

…but that’s when he heard a snicker, and Ouma untangled himself from Saihara’s embrace, ready to jump off the bed and run away.

“Saihara-chan should probably go to sleep now, so I will go take care of my stuff-“

“W-Wait!” He managed to catch him by his wrist on the last possible moment. “It’s n-not a sleepover if we don’t… sleep together…”

“Huh? But I don’t need to sleep. I’m a ghost after all,” he replied, ignoring the fact that he was the one to insist on organizing this.

“Doesn’t matter. Just stay with me,” Saihara said in a pleading voice. “Stop running away.”

A moment of silence and Ouma staring at him with blank face later, the ghost flopped back onto the bed and laid on his side, next to Saihara’s sleeping bag. The bed was wide enough for the two of them.

“You dare to call me a coward, huh?” He muttered, showing an expression Saihara hasn’t seen in a while – the well known threatening grin. Wishing his heartbeat would go back to normal, Saihara tuned the lights off and put the laptop away, before crawling into his sleeping bag and lying down too, facing Ouma.

At this rate, falling asleep wasn’t going to be easy.

“Are you happy with yourself, Saihara-chan? Your heart seems to be beating awfully loudly. I can hear it, since mine isn’t beating at all.”

He didn’t know to which part of this he should respond – the mocking comment about his nervousness, or the sad second part. He went with the first option, knowing Ouma wouldn’t be comfortable with the latter.

“Can you blame me? It’s all your fault.”

“Mine? I’m not even doing anything! If I was like, trying to seduce you, then you could be complaining! Oh, did you mean that the very presence of my great self is sending your heart aflutter? Wow, what’s such a bold confession, Saihara-chan!”

Confessing to him would be the hardest thing on earth, actually.

“I-I wouldn’t have anything against cuddling though…” Saihara said quietly, but when he earned no response for a while he became scared he crossed the line. “…Ouma-kun?”

That’s when he felt a warm hand touch his cheek, then caress it. Ouma’s touch was gentle, as he pushed some loose strand of hair behind his ear.

“Why do you keep testing me, Saihara-chan?” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “I was supposed to be the one testing you.”

“I-I’m not-“

“You are. You are doing whatever you want to me, and for some reason I don’t mind that,” he continued, still touching his face. “Because it’s okay if it’s my beloved Saihara-chan. I have nowhere to run anyway.”

Slowly, he moved closer, crawling into Saihara’s unzipped sleeping bag and nestling himself in his arms... because there was no way that Saihara wouldn’t allow it.

At this point, he had no idea what they were… as he knew he had feelings for Ouma, but was unable to tell if Ouma felt anything for him.

With him, anything could be a lie… but despite that, Saihara wanted to believe that not everything was.

“In the end, you never told me why you’re haunting the infirmary,” he muttered into Ouma’s hair.

“Oh, you’re still thinking about that? Think for a moment, don’t I look a bit like a nurse, with my white clothes? Maybe I wanted to play one?”

“…”

“What, are you accusing me of having no intention of actually helping anyone? That’s mean, Saihara-chan!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But you thought that! You’re pretty easy to read.”

“Thanks god. At least there isn’t two of us…”

That meaningless small talk went on for a while, until Saihara finally fell asleep, still holding onto Ouma, who didn’t have anything against it…

***

…because when Saihara woke up the next day, he was still there, curled up in his embrace. He wished he could pretend he was still asleep for a while longer, so he could just look at Ouma’s face… free from any faked emotion, and so peaceful… but his limbs apparently didn’t like this position.

“Nishishi, you can’t fool me, Saihara-chan. You’re awake.” Ouma’s expression soon tuned into a grin. “And your arms are probably dead, aren’t they?”

“Not yet… But… you really stayed here the whole night?” He replied sleepily.

“Of course not! As soon as you fell asleep I left, I don’t have that much time to waste. I actually returned just now-“

“Lies.” Saihara moved his hand to lazily brush it through Ouma’s hair, who in turn seemed to lean into his touch.

“Seems like lying doesn’t work anymore.”

“Not when it’s so obvious.”

For a moment they just stared at each other, as if trying to figure out their true feelings and what step should they make next. Saihara remembered Ouma saying that the first one was always the most difficult…But one of them had to make it.

“Ouma-kun… C-Can I kiss you?”

“No.”

A short answer he should’ve expected, but at the same time he hoped it would be different. His disappointment must’ve been clearly visible, as Ouma let out a mischievous giggle.

“You’re not a person who’d just kiss a person you don’t love. What’s gotten into you, Saihara-chan?”

“Shouldn’t it be obvious at this point?” Saihara muttered, hating how weak his voice sounded.

“I hate it when people try to lie to me, you know-“

“You claim to be able to recognize a lie easily, but somehow you can’t recognize the truth,” he interrupted Ouma, placing his hand on his cheek and forcing him to look him in the eyes. “Do I really look like someone who’s lying?”

“You don’t. That’s why I can’t understand.” He brought his hand to Saihara’s lips. “Why would Saihara-chan say something like this? Or rather… Are you sure you want to love a lying mess like me?”’

Saihara was kind of glad it was Ouma to say those words out loud. He wondered if Ouma realized that.

“It’s not like I chose it myself. You walked into my life and made me fall in love with you.”

“So I really stole your heart, Saihara-chan! I accomplished my goal!” The other boy broke the serious atmosphere, rolling on top of him and leaving no room to protest. “Those question earlier, they were lies! Making you fall for me was my plan all along!”

_ Was it really…? _

“Ouma-kun… Be honest with me for once. Please,” Saihara said hesitantly. He didn’t exactly expect him to accept his feelings, but acting all affectionate without actually replying… was even worse. He was a nervous wreck even without this.

“You think I’m not trying?” Ouma’s voice sounded serious again, as he rested his cheek on Saihara’s chest, making it impossible to see his expression. “Even I wouldn’t lie about something like this. Because I love my beloved Saihara-chan… Shuuichi… and that’s the truth.”

Silence.

“Wow, Saihara-chan’s heart sure is beating super fast again! I wonder what’s causing it!”

“…do you really mean that?”

“So you don’t believe a liar after all?”

“N-No, this is my self-esteem speaking. It has nothing to do with you.”

That answer made Ouma raise his head again, so he could look Saihara in the eyes. Soon his hand was on Saihara’s cheek again, then brushing through his hair.

“You know, Saihara-chan, my standards ain’t low. If you weren’t a top-tier boyfriend material, I wouldn’t fall for you. And since you’re so wonderful, and so am I, I’ll give you a reward.”

He raised on his elbows and leaned forward, doing what he denied Saihara earlier – kissing him. It was short, very short, just a brush of soft lips against his own before he pulled away, but… it was enough of a confirmation.

“That’s all?” Despite that, he wished for more. It was enough to confirm Ouma’s feelings, but not enough to satisfy his need for closeness.

“What, Saihara-chan, do you maybe suspect I actually don’t know how to kiss? Naive, a supreme leader like me is the best at it! I’m just giving you some time to get used to all the affection I’m giving you-“

And since it wasn’t enough, he flopped Ouma on his back and leaned over him. He had no idea how he managed to catch him off guard, and Ouma seemed to be surprised too.

“I didn’t know you have so much courage, Saihara-chan. I’ve underestimated you, nishishi.” Ouma got rid of the surprised expression instantly. Of course he wouldn’t let Saihara be the one in control, never. He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down, pressing their lips together once more, this time for longer.

“Aaah, I can’t believe I ended up in a bed with a guy I’m not even dating!” Ouma whined as they parted for a moment. “What will my organization think of me? Even evil should have standards!”

“W-What?! We’re not d-doing anything like-“

“Take responsibility, Shuuichi. I order you to date me,” he finished with a smile, looking proud of himself, but also… happy. So, so happy. Deciding that it wasn’t a lie, Saihara smiled back at him.

“You don’t even have to order me.”

And like this, Saihara Shuuichi, the Super High School Level Detective, started dating a ghost.

***

His investigation concerning uncovering Ouma’s true identity was stuck in its place though. Even after accepting ‘Ouma’ as his true name and checking any family with this surname he could find, he found nobody that would fit the information he already had, and his new boyfriend continued to be just ‘Ouma-kun’ to him.

He assumed that not much time could’ve passed since he became a ghost – despite being very strange, he was still a modern teenager, with the knowledge of modern slang, and even internet memes. Whatever happened to him, it must’ve been recent.

“…I’m telling ya, something is wrong with the infirmary.” Yumeno’s voice distracted him from simply watching Ouma, who occupied the free desk again. “I was looking for band-aids… but couldn’t find any. And then they just appeared!”

“You must’ve simply overlooked them at first, Yumeno-san…” Chabashira replied, laughing a little.

“Nyeh, it’s definitely not that!” Yumeno protested. “They fell to the ground in the middle of the room, Tenko! Supernatural powers must be involved!”

_ And this supernatural power is sitting a few desks away from you,  _ Saihara thought, glancing at Ouma, who was too busy throwing paper balls at Kiibo to pay attention to them. Apparently he could make things invisible by touching them, so to poor, confused Kiibo it looked like they were appearing out of nowhere…

“Ah, that must be Shuuichi’s ghost friend!” Angie exclaimed suddenly, making Saihara freeze.

“Ah? What?” Chabashira sent him a glare, making it obvious she thought he’s insane.

“Angie never met him, since only Shuuichi can see him, but she’s sure he’s watching over us!” Angie continued to worsen his situation.

“Angie-san… That was supposed to be a secret,” he muttered, wanting nothing more than to escape Chabashira’s judgmental eyes and Yumeno’s curious looks.

“Ah, sorry, sorry! Angie is just very curious how mister Ghost is doing. Has he turned into an evil spirit yet?”

_ He’s always been evil,  _ Saihara thought, as he heard Ouma’s laughter when Kiibo turned to him again, looking for something he couldn’t see.

“Tenko has always known that boys are terrible and delusional, but she just lost the faith she still had in Saihara-san…”

“It’s not like this, Chabashira-san! Angie-san confused some things…”

“Uuh, did Angie really? Ahahaha, maybe!” The artist laughed, somewhat helping.

Saihara just sighed and glanced at Ouma’s desk again.  _ Even without anyone being aware of his presence, he’s bringing chaos into the class… If he really was our classmate, it would be only worse, pro- _

Saihara stopped in mid-thought, feeling almost as if he got hit with a brick. Suddenly everything seemed to fall into place, turning Ouma into a slightly less mysterious character, because…

…he really was a part of this class.

The always free sixteenth desk that didn’t seem out of place only when Ouma was sitting there. The fact that every other class at Hope’s Peak Academy had sixteen students, except for theirs. Ouma’s hard to notice but definitely present desire to be a part of the group too…

He probably realized Saihara has been staring at him since a while, as he smiled and waved at him.

“Saihara-chan, look, this stupid robot has such hilarious reactions!”

_ I love you, Ouma-kun, but Kiibo-kun deserves better. _

Saihara turned away from him, feeling like he could finally start uncovering his lies. If it wasn’t the right lead, then he didn’t know what else could be.

***

A few hours later he was making his way towards Harukawa’s room in the dorms. That short time was enough to learn more than he did in a few weeks, and if anyone could help him right now, it was her.

_ “Ah, so someone actually noticed you’re missing one classmate? As expected of a detective,” their homeroom teacher stated, for some reason making Saihara feel guilty. _

_ “If I was actually any good, I would’ve noticed a long time ago,” he replied. _

_ “You could’ve just assumed that this year we scouted only fifteen people. But you’re right, there was a sixteenth person. But… there was a car accident just before the beginning of school year.” _

_ Preparing himself for an answer he just couldn’t handle well, he asked another question… _

_ “Then… he died in that accident?” _

_ …only to receive an answer he didn’t expect in the slightest. _

_ “Huh? No, this sixteenth student is alive. That accident wasn’t that bad, but for some reason he’s still comatose… He wasn’t even crossed out of the student list, so when he wakes up he can still join this class.” _

_ For a moment he stood there, unable to react in any way. It wasn’t what he expected. It really wasn’t. _

_ And at the same time, he never was happier about his predictions being wrong. _

_ “C-Can I ask you about his name? And title? Please, I need to know,” he said in a voice trembling with emotion. _

_ “Hmm… If I remember correctly, it’s Ouma Kokichi, the Super High School Level Supreme Leader.” _

_ “Y-You said he’s comatose, right? Then he must be in a hospital. W-Which one?” _

_ “Calm down, Saihara-kun. I know you must be worried about your classmate after learning something like this, but it’s not something I can just tell you…” _

_ So it was confidential data. If so… He had to find another way. _

_ Asking the Ouma he knew wouldn’t work. If he knew about all of this, he was hiding everything from Saihara on purpose. Facing him now would be useless… He needed not only to investigate more, but also think of what he should tell him. _

_ Because if Ouma was alive, everything could change. He still could become a part of Saihara’s class, make friends with everyone... even if it could be difficult. Saihara could stare at his desk without looking like an insane person, but only like a kid in love. He could still have a future… and they could have a future together. _

_ Without even saying goodbye to the teacher, be sprinted down the hallway, directing his steps towards the dorms. He had no time to lose, and… If anyone could help him get the address of the hospital Ouma was in, it was Harukawa. _

“Harukawa-san? Are you there?” He called, knocking on the door. “Please, be there…”

After a (much too long for him) moment, a girl with red eyes opened the door. She didn’t look too pleased with that visit, but at the same time she didn’t look upset.

“Saihara? Do you need something?”

“I need your help, Harukawa-san! I beg you!”

“If you fall to your knees I’m going to say no, so stop what you’re doing, right now,” she said, watching him with a frown. “What’s wrong, Saihara? Normally you’d never ask me for help. It would be Akamatsu or Momota.”

Of course, at this point everyone knew about Harukawa’s real talent. Some of their classmates were probably still scared of her, but not Saihara. He just knew she was a good person.

“I…”

“Wait. You can explain it inside,” she sighed, pulling him by his wrist. “Lately I keep feeling like something really annoying is following you around… so get inside.”

If Ouma was with him right now, he would be able to get inside without Harukawa’s permission… but he couldn’t tell her about it, obviously.

“Now, talk,” she ordered him after they settled on the floor in her room.

“Harukawa-san… Can you pick locks? Or… break into somewhere in general?”

“Those are pretty basic skills when you have a job like mine,” the girl pointed out. “Wait, is this what you want me to do?”

Saihara nodded, a little embarrassed that he had to ask her to do something like this.

“I need access to a certain student’s documents,” he said. “They should probably be in our homeroom teacher’s office, but I’m not a person authorized to look at them…”

“And who is this student?”

“His name is Ouma Kokichi.”

...

“Who the hell is this?” Harukawa asked, looking as if even the sound of his name was annoying to her. “Wait, don’t tell me. Now I’m curious, so just stay here and give me half an hour. I’ll be back.”

“H-Harukawa-san?!”

“Listen, Saihara. I have no idea what’s going on, and why you’ve been acting strange for the past few weeks, but… We’re friends, right? So just wait here and let me help out,” she said, looking a bit embarrassed as well. “After all… You’ve helped me out many times already.”

“…thank you, Harukawa-san.”

She stood up, took something from the bedside cabinet and left the room.

Meanwhile Saihara finally had the time to calm down and clear his mind. 

Ouma was alive. The same Ouma he thought was just a ghost, was alive. The person he fell in love with… was alive.

His name was Kokichi. It was a nice name.

He didn’t lie about his title – it was real. 

How many other things he said were true, and how many were lies?

It didn’t matter right now. What was important… was that Saihara really wanted him to live. He didn’t know if there was anything he could do, but he had to at least try.

So he waited for Harukawa to come back, praying to be able to gather some clues before the day was over… But he would sacrifice his sleep if he needed to.

“Wake up, Saihara,” Harukawa said, lightly hitting him with a folder. “That didn’t take long.”

“You’re back already…?”

“I didn’t even have to break in,” she muttered. “And don’t look at me like this, I didn’t threaten anyone either. Distracting others from your actual goal is also a useful skill. Here, you wanted this, right?” She handed him the folder.

“Did you look inside…?”

“No. I’m expecting explanations from you.”

Saihara hesitantly opened it and put it on the ground, so Harukawa could see too.

“He’s supposed to be our classmate, right, Saihara? One look at his face make me want to strangle him.”

“Please, if you ever meet him, don’t do that,” he replied with a sigh. There was a photo of Ouma attached, of course. He didn’t look any different from the person he knew so well – unruly, dark hair, innocent-looking smile and eyes that were betraying it all. Saihara couldn’t help but smile at this photograph.

“Why did they even keep an open spot for him? They could’ve just scouted another kid in his place.”

“That must mean his talent is a real deal… and that they really wanted him here.”

“Hmm? He… doesn’t seem to have any family members listed.” Harukawa pointed at something in the document. “An orphan?”

“Who knows?” This wasn’t what he was looking for. He flipped the pages, not wanting to learn about Ouma this way. “I only need the address…”

“What address-“

“This one.” Saihara finally found it. “The hospital address.”

“Why do you even need it? He’s just some stranger kid you’ve never met before. Isn’t he unconscious anyway? Since like a few months ago?”

“Harukawa-san… Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn’t believe me,” he admitted. “So let me show you this truth. You might have to wait for a bit, though.”

A moment of silence and them just looking at each other.

“Fine. Do you need me to go there with you? To that hospital?” She asked, giving up on getting answers from him.

“To be honest, I doubt they’ll even let me visit him, since I’m not a family,” Saihara said. “But I have to go anyway. Don’t tell anyone about this.”

If she told anyone, and Ouma was somewhere nearby, everything would be for nothing.

“Uh… Sure. Be careful. This little shit looks like someone who could fuck you up even in his sleep.”

_ He probably could, it’s Ouma-kun after all. _

“I will. Thank you, Harukawa-san.”

***

Saihara soon regretted not being an athletic person. First running to Harukawa’s dorms, then running around the city and looking for the right place… Momota would probably be able to do it much faster.

And just like he expected, he wasn’t allowed to visit Ouma’s room anyway. The most he could do was asking a nurse about his condition and learning that, in fact, there was nothing preventing him from waking up… and yet, he was still sleeping, as if he didn’t want to wake up. If it wasn’t for that, he would be completely fine.

He learned one more thing though. After admitting he’s from Hope’s Peak and saying he’s a detective, he was told that he wasn’t the only person trying to see Ouma. And the other people…

...were wearing white clothes and checkered scarves, just like Ouma himself. It just proved he wasn’t lying about his organization as well – whether it was evil, or if it was really so large… it didn’t mattered. The fact was that it existed, and that his followers… or maybe friends… were also worried about him. With that knowledge, he left the hospital.

And just when he thought it would nice to be able to meet them…

...he spotted two dressed in white silhouettes, hiding in a back alley near the building he just left. He couldn’t believe his luck, and at the same time he was already apologizing to Harukawa in his mind. If they really were Ouma’s friends, it was impossible to know what to expect of them…

But before even making it close enough for them to pay attention to him, he overheard something.

“…stupid Ouma. What is he even thinking about?”

“Dunno. Probably nothing, since he’s, you know, unconscious. Maybe he’s dreaming about some pretty girls.”

“Sooner guys. He’s pretty gay, if you haven’t noticed already. But it’s not what I was talking about!”

“We can’t really do anything, so what’s the point of sulking? That’s not what Ouma would want. Sure, I want him to wake up and stuff, but I’m no doctor, I can’t tell you what’s wrong with him.”

“Then what are we supposed to do now?”

“You know what. We all know Ouma well, right? We have to take care of the organization in his stead… at least until he wakes up. He’s not one to just sleep forever…”

“He was so excited about going to that stupid school, and now… It’s my fault!”

“It’s not. He saved your ass because he wanted to do this, so get your shit together and become a good substitute leader.”

“How am I supposed to do that?! I miss him!”

“We all do! Even if we’re not mentioning if every five minutes, we all miss Ouma! We’re just doing our best to stay strong for him!”

Saihara decided that he’d heard enough. He slowly backed out of the alley, remaining unseen by the two members of Ouma’s organization… his friends, or maybe even family.

Now he was sure that Ouma had people waiting for him to come back. People who loved him. Why was he making them wait…

It was already late, but he was running again, hoping he wouldn’t collapse soon. He managed to do this much today… He couldn’t give up now. After learning all of this, he had to face Ouma.

Only when he was about to open the door to the infirmary realized he that he was afraid.

It took him weeks to realize the truth. Was Ouma angry about this? Or was he going to be angry about him actually figuring it out? He didn’t know. What was he supposed to say anyway? He probably knew all the things Saihara could tell him…

….

What was he even doing? Wasn’t he supposed to be the one that understood Ouma so well? And… wasn’t he Ouma’s lover, too? There was no time to be scared.

Saihara pushed the door and entered the room, attracting attention of the boy sitting on the desk, like he usually would when alone. He smiled at him, like he usually would when with him.

“I didn’t expect Saihara-chan to come so late today! What held you back? I almost thought you decided to break up already!”

“You knew all along… Right, Ouma Kokichi?” He asked, making the smile disappear.

“Oh. So it’s finally a game over for me. I got caught. Good job, mister detective,” he replied with a blank face. “Do you want a reward for catching the villain?”

“What villain? I don’t see any villains here…”

“Silly Saihara-chan, the villain is me! I’m a leader of an evil organization, did you forget?”

“Criminal organization doesn’t equal evil. If they really were evil, they wouldn’t miss you so much!”

“Saihara-chan met D.I.C.E?” Now Ouma looked seriously concerned, and it didn’t seem like a lie. “How… How did you…”

“I didn’t talk to any of them, but they were pretty obvious about trying to see you… even if they couldn’t,” Saihara explained. “I overheard them talking about you.”

“Nishishi, you really went overboard today, Saihara-chan. Do I even have any mysteries left to uncover? I’m proud of you though! Just as expected of the person I chose as my lover!”

“Ouma-kun, I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you.”

“Huh? Sorry, Saihara-chan, I didn’t notice!”

He didn’t expect him to react in any other way than this, but it was still… tiring. He was already opening his mouth again, but Ouma spoke first.

“Lying… isn’t that much fun when someone sees right through you. It was funnier when you were simply trying to figure me out.”

He sounded… just as tired as Saihara.

“I don’t like the fact that a single person was able to change me so much. In fact, I hate this. I never intended to change for you,” he continued. “Even if you can’t see it, I feel it. I really changed and it’s your fault. I even briefly considered stopping lying for you, even though it’s usually so much fun.”

“Then don’t stop. I never said I want you to stop, right? I’ve gotten used to thi-“

“But don’t you hate lies, Saihara-chan? It’s a detective’s role to uncover the truth after all.” Ouma’s tone was playful, as if he still hadn’t completely given up on his act.

“That’s why it works, Ouma-kun. Me and you. It’s my role to keep you in check, so you can keep on lying,” Saihara replied softly. “So lie as much as you want. But do it because it’s fun, not because you’re hurting and want to hide it.”

The room was dark except for the starlight coming from the window, but for a second he thought he saw real tears in his eyes… but it was only a second.

Supreme leaders don’t shed genuine tears after all… right?

“They’re doing just fine without me. D.I.C.E, I mean. I’m their leader, so I know they are. I trained them right, so if any emergency comes up, they can live without me.”

“But they don’t need to. You’re alive! You  _ are  _ their leader, not  _ used to be _ . They need-“

“They don’t. I’m not needed. I mean, not in some tragic ‘they never liked me’ way, because I know they do. I’m the leader after all, right? I’m just… not necessary. Whether I’m there or not, it’s the same. I watched them for a while… but then I left, since they couldn’t see me,” he sighed.

“For someone so smart…” Saihara started, not even knowing how to react. “…you can be pretty dumb sometimes.”

“That’s mean, Saihara-chan…”

“They’re hanging on because they love you, Ouma-kun. Who cares about something like being necessary? Do you think… I’m necessary to anyone? Because I doubt it. Living is not about it.”

“I never expected anyone to lecture me about something like this. I don’t even know why we’re talking about it.”

“…true, we got a bit off-topic.” This time it was his time to sigh. “The point is that you’re not alone… Kokichi. You have friends that want you back. And I… I want you to give us a chance.”

“A chance…?”

“S-So… we can stay together? I mean… I don’t know about you…but I want you to have a future. Maybe with me. Maybe with someone else, if I’m not enough…”

Ouma’s eyes went wide as he listened to his words. It wasn’t even his usual blank-face reaction – he was genuinely surprised. Maybe even shocked.

“That was… so pure. Nobody ever told me something like this,” he stated, then extended his arms to him. “Come here, Saihara-chan.”

And when he did, Ouma wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him into a close embrace. He didn’t even say anything, just held him tightly, as if that was his only way of dealing with the results of this conversation. It lasted for a while, before he slowly pulled away.

“Maybe now, when I really want it… I can… I need to go.”

“H-Huh? Where?”

“The further away from you, the better,” he said, jumping off the desk and moving towards the door. He stopped for a moment though. “Juuust kidding.”

With that, he was gone before Saihara could say anything else.

That day, Ouma resigned from the position of the infirmary ghost and never appeared there again.

***

“Shuuichi. Shuuichi! Man, wake up, it’s only the lunch break!”

It took a poke at Saihara’s side to bring him back to reality. “M-Momota-kun!?”

“You’ve been daydreaming since we got here. Dude, pull yourself together,” his friend sighed. “And most importantly, help me teach Harumaki math.”

“Weren’t you boasting about being so good at it just a second ago?” Harukawa pointed out in an annoyed tone.

“Understanding something and explaining it to someone else are two different things!”’

“Thank you for nothing, I guess.”

“Come on, Harumaki, let’s try again!”

Saihara couldn’t help but laugh at this exchange, kind of thankful to Momota for interrupting his thoughts. There was no use thinking about Ouma now… It’s been over two weeks since he’d last seen him. Since then his life became much more peaceful, but…

He wasn’t good at lying to himself. If Ouma could to this, then he really was the liar king… because Saihara simply couldn’t. He told himself to wait, but something was missing, and it was painfully obvious. The silly pranks among his classmates ceased too. Everything went back to normal… but not his feelings, of course.

He missed Ouma terribly.

“Uwah, I’m so busy these days!” Akamatsu exclaimed, taking her usual seat too. She stayed behind in class, talking to the teacher. “Being a class rep sure is a lot of work…”

“Thank you for looking after us, Akamatsu-san.”

“No, thank you, Saihara-kun, you’re the only one appreciating my efforts,” she said, looking pretty moved by his words. “By the way, you probably haven’t heard yet, but… we’re going to have a new classmate.”

“What!?” Both Saihara and Harukawa raised their voices, looking at Akamatsu, then at each other.

“Saihara, explain yourself.”

“M-Me? I haven’t done anything!”

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Right, don’t leave me out! I’m still here!”

“Ekhem.”

The last voice didn’t belong to anyone from their quartet, so, after exchanging glances, they began to look around in search of its owner. Finally, their eyes landed on someone nobody invited there.

A short boy with dark, unruly hair, purple eyes and a mischievous grin on his pale face. He was wearing Hope’s Peak uniform, but instead of a tie he had a checkered scarf. It seemed like he wasn’t completely fine yet, as he was supporting himself with crutches, but it was definitely the same person.

“Ouma Kokichi, the Super High School Level Supreme Leader, finally arrived,” he announced. “Nishishi, you were talking about me, right? I thought I might introduce myself!”

“Who the heck are you?” Momota asked. “Oh, Akamatsu, is he the new student? He looks like a middle-school kid.”

“Watch your words, Momota-chan, or this might not end well for you,” Ouma replied, narrowing his eyes.

“Why do you know my name… Wait, are you threatening me?”

Saihara looked at Harukawa, who seemed to be ready to commit a murder, then back at Ouma.

“That was a lie! I wouldn’t hurt my boyfriend’s friend. He would be sad.”

…

…

…

“Saihara, meet me behind the building after classes. I have something to tell you.”

“Saihara-kun, is he the person you… Oh, so it’s like this… I understand...”

“Wait, Shuuichi is dating this kid?! Why didn’t I know anything!?”

At that moment, Saihara wanted nothing more than hide from all of them. Ouma in turn… seemed to be enjoying the chaos, as he giggled under his breath.

“Wait, calm down, everyone! If he’s really Saihara-kun’s boyfriend… Saihara-kun, can you confirm?” Akamatsu asked.

“He really is.” God. He sounded as if he regretted some of his life choices.

“Okay, since he’s really Saihara-kun’s boyfriend, we need to accept it and stay calm!” She exclaimed. “Welcome to our class, Ouma-kun! I’m Akamatsu Kaede, the class rep…”

“I know, Akamatsu-chan! I know much more than you can imagine!”

She looked as if she wanted to hide, too, but despite that, she extended her arm to him. He faked a surprised face, freed one of his hand from the crutches and tried to accept Akamatsu’s hand, but then…

He swayed (definitely on purpose) towards Saihara, somehow landing in his lap.

“Ouma-kun?!”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Saihara-chan! Nishishi, I’m still so clumsy! What a good thing you were so close and caught me!” He threw his arms around Saihara’s neck and hugged him, just like this, in front of everyone… but the next words he said were only for him – a short whisper. “I missed my beloved Saihara-chan so much.”

At that moment, Saihara noticed one very important change. He could clearly feel Ouma’s heart, beating so close to his, and faster than he would’ve expected of someone who always seemed to have everything under control.

“That’s it. This brat is dead,” Harukawa said, earning another giggle from Ouma.

“Can’t touch me here! Saihara-chan will protect me, right?”

“I-I guess I’ll have to…?”

Akamatsu opened her mouth to say something again, probably try to calm Harukawa down, but the bell announcing the end of their break resounded in the hallways, so she only sighed, showing them with a gesture that she’s going back to class. Harukawa followed her without a word, so Momota just shrugged and secretly gave them a thumbs up.

“What are we supposed to do now…?”

“Skip classes?”

“We can’t. You should introduce yourself, and-“

“Nishishi, don’t you think I’ve already had enough of an entrance?”

“You totally did that on purpose.”

“Maybe. Maybe I just wanted to be with Saihara-chan.”

“We’re going to have a lot of time for this… right?”

“Who knows!” Ouma looked as if he wanted to jump off Saihara’s lap, but he quickly decided it wasn’t a good idea in his condition, so he just stood up normally, reaching for the crutches. “Now that I’m back to leading D.I.C.E, we have a lot of stuff to do! I might not be able to find time for Saihara-chan.”

_ Well, they probably have a lot of catching up to do as a group… Wait, what kind of organization D.I.C.E is? I still have no idea… _

“That’s a lie though. I’ll always find time for my beloved Shuuichi,” Ouma added, smiling at him. He still looked tired and made the impression of someone sick, but Saihara found this smile awfully cute anyway. “It would be easier if you just joined us though. They want to meet you anyway!”

“My job is catching criminals, not allying with them.”

“Dating one of them isn’t your job either. What is it then, a side hobby? That’s terrible, Saihara-chan! I should be your priority!”

“…let’s just go to class. Do you need any help?”

“Yhm, I think I do. Come here for a moment, Saihara-chan,” he said. Already expecting some kind of trap, Saihara leaned closer, only to feel soft, familiar lips pressing against his own in a short, but sweet kiss, much like their first one.

“O-Ouma-kun, there are security cameras in here,” he muttered.

“Oopsie, I forgot! But you were forgetting about them for much longer. Basically, the whole time when I was a ghost! You must’ve looked very funny to whoever was watching the recordings,” Ouma said, making him stop breathing for a moment. “That’s a lie. I disabled the camera in the infirmary a long time ago.”

Life with him wasn’t going to be easy, that’s for sure… but it wasn’t going to be boring either.

Lies and truth were always inseparable after all… right?

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm late to the party, but now that I've almost finished ndrv3 I can finally contribute to the fandom somehow!! 
> 
> Recently I finished ch5 and it really destroyed me tbh... that's why I wanted to write something happy. I hope it was enjoyable!! These kids deserve so much more than what they got. 
> 
> Also, I still haven't finished the game completely (I'm at the beginning of ch6), so please, don't spoil anything for me.
> 
> The beautiful art of Ouma is by [[ChromeXVII]](http://chromexvii.tumblr.com/). Check out their art!!  
> Thank you for reading!!


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